A/N: Yo. Winged Quill here with another update. Not much to say, just that I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP *happy dance* So I will be going to a different school next year. Workload's supposed to be heavier so there may be fewer updates. Just warning y'all. Thanks KCWROX and UnknownUnseenUnheard, you're both totally awesome! (Beta note: I know I am.)

RECOMMENDATION: Oh, I totally recommend the goffickness of My Immortal. If you need an example of what NOT to do, that is. I am not responsible for any loss of brain cells that may occur whilst reading this.

DISCLAIMER: Own Harry Potter or Maximum Ride, I do not.

Beta-d as of 4/21/2012

Chapter Eight: Back to Hogwarts

Harry

I laugh as Ron loses yet another round of Exploding Snap to Hermione of all people, somehow managing to singe his eyebrows off in the process. Ron mock-glares at me.

"You find something funny?" he asks, pretending to be tough.

"Clearly," I say in my best Snape voice, causing to Hermione to look at me disapprovingly, making me crack up even more.

It's nice to laugh with your friends. Takes your mind off things. Like the fact that you're going to-

Don't think about that. Geez, Harry, you're supposed to be trying to enjoy yourself.

My smile slips off my face slightly, and Hermione notices, pinning me with a calculating look. I smile reassuringly at her, then turn back to laugh at Ron's lack of eyebrows.

"Potter. Weasley. And the Mudblood."

Ron looks up, glaring at Malfoy, who's standing in the doorway of my compartment.

"Go to Hell, Malfoy," I say calmly, not even bothering to look at him. Really, he's not worth what little time I have left.

"What was that Potter?" he demands.

"You heard me. And I have no desire to repeat myself. Get out of our compartment, frankly, ferrets annoy me."

Ron and Hermione are staring at me. Eh, who cares?

"And if I don't?"

I look him directly in the eye with my best glare-of-death. With all the scars, it probably looks ten times creepier now. Y'know, based on the fact that Malfoy actually yelped and backed away.

"What happened to you, Potter?"

"As if I'd tell you. Get lost."

Malfoy, actually looking kinda frightened, slams the door of our compartment and runs off.

"Slytherins," I say, shaking my head. "No backbone whatsoever."

Ron and Hermione just stare.

"Close your mouths, you'll catch flies." Hermione shakes herself out of her stupor.

"Harry," she begins.

"Yes?" I ask, waiting for a reprimand. You shouldn't threaten students; you shouldn't scare people, blah, blah, blah.

"That was awesome!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Ron asks, snapping out of his daze.

I laugh.

"What the-" I say, stopping to stare at a creepy horse-bat thing. It actually looked like a mutant I had seen at The School. Except it had been dead. So...clearly it wasn't said mutant. Plus, it was pulling the Hogwarts carriages, and I don't think the whitecoats would have allowed that.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"What are those horse-bat-things?" Max asks, walking up next to me. So she can see them, and evidently Hermione can't. Okay...this is getting weird.

"What are you talking about, Max?"

"I can see them too," I say, frowning slightly.

"Don't worry. So can I. You're just as sane as I am." I glance up into the carriage. A girl sits there, reading a magazine upside down.

Somehow that doesn't reassure me all that much.

"Hello, I'm Luna Lovegood," she says smiling ethereally.

"Maximum Ride," Max says.

"Fang Walker."

"Iggy Windfree."

"Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter." She doesn't even blink, merely raising her eyebrows. And I think it's more because of the scars than the name. At least she's not reacting crazily, like I know most of the school will.

"Now that the introductions are out-of-the-way, is there enough space in the carriage for all of us?" asks Hermione.

"There should be, if we all squeeze in," Luna says.

I gulp. Tight spaces=unhappy mutant. Side effect of spending two months in a dog crate. And of course I get the tightest corner of the carriage.

Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic.

"Harry?" I turn to see Hermione, looking at me in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I manage to get out. "Just claustrophobic, that's all."

When we reach Hogwarts I scramble as fast as I can out of the carriage. Already I can hear whispers from the nearby students.

"Is that Harry Potter?"

"Blimey, what happened to him?"

"He's covered with scars!"

"Death Eaters, d'you reckon?"

"Probably. Merlin...what did they do to him?"

I keep walking, trying to ignore the stares and whispers. One good thing about all the scars, they kept people's eyes focused on my face. Making them far less likely to notice the faint-but-still-there impression my wings were making on the back of my robes.

Entering Hogwarts, the whispers increase as the candlelight makes the scars more noticeable. Some people are craning their necks to get a good look at me. I duck my head but I don't feel too embarrassed. People have been staring for years, it's not that big of a deal anymore, annoying as it is. My still-too-long hair covers my face, falling in my eyes and making it harder to see.

Note to self: Cut hair so that you don't look like a girl. Or Snape, for that matter.

"Hey Harry, I never did ask you...what happened to your glasses?" asks Hermione.

I shrug. "They broke. Figured I might as well get contacts, they'll be less of a hindrance in a fight. Less likely to break or get stolen and all that."

Hermione looks at me, then nods, accepting my story.

Hermione

Contacts. That was Harry's story. And it's a lie. I know that it's possible to see the outline of contacts, close up. I was standing maybe a foot away from him, I would have been able to.

So he doesn't have glasses, he doesn't have contacts. What, did his vision just suddenly fix itself? Impossible. So what is it?

Harry walks off, towards Max, probably to explain the sorting to her.

I turn to Ron.

"Harry's lying to me."

He looks surprised. "About what?"

"Getting contacts. It's possible to see them."

"What are contacts, anyway?"

"A Muggle way to correct sight. Little spheres that you put in your eyes."

"Sounds painful," he says with a wince.

"Just a little uncomfortable, according to my mum."

"I doubt it... Anyway, he's lying? I thought he got some sort of potion to correct vision, it's possible, just pricey."

"I know, that's what I thought too. But why would he lie to us?"

"I really don't know."

The sorting hat sings, something about unity, and banding together in the face of adversary. I don't pay much attention (for once), still contemplating the mystery that is my best friend. When Dumbledore announces the new students that, due to "circumstances beyond their control" didn't know about magic up until now, I perk up, waiting to hear their sorting.

"They will be in fourth year, and will be given private lessons to catch them up to speed. I trust that you will all be very welcoming."

McGonagall steps up.

"They will now be sorted. Ride, Maximum!"

Max walks over to the stool. After about twenty seconds...

"RAVENCLAW!" She stands, before walking over to the cheering blue and bronze table.

"Walker, Fang!" I hear some muttering over his name. Fang seems indifferent, smirking slightly.

The hat screams out "SLYTHERIN!" the instant it touches his head. He doesn't seem too surprised.

"Windfree, Iggy."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I cheer with the others then it's on to the regular sorting.

"Hey, welcome to Gryffindor."

"Thanks. Just wish Max and Fang were here too."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Fang is the Slytherin poster-boy, there's no way he would have gone anywhere else."

"You're saying his evil?" asks Ron, looking at Harry incredulously. "I thought you were friends."

"Not evil. Just...y'know...Slytherin. Cunning, and all that."

"Okay..."

"Harry?" asks Dean.

"Yeah?"

"What...er...happened to you?"

"I was kidnapped," he says shortly, clearly not wanting to go into much detail.

"By Death Eaters?"

"I think they were Death Eaters. Certainly seemed like them. They never really talked to me, so I couldn't say for sure."

"Did-"

"Can we stop talking about this?" Harry asks, looking pained.

"Oh, er, sorry," says Dean, fidgeting awkwardly.

"Elloway, Nudge."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Again, not that much of a surprise," remarks Harry.

When the sorting is over, Dumbledore gets to his feet.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he begins. "Now I just have a few announcements before."

"Hem-hem!"

A new teacher, dressed all in pink. Harry frowns.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I don't know," he says. "Something about her...I just...she makes me uneasy."

I frown. Strange...

"Is it your scar?"

"No."

Ron seems to be tuning out her speech, but I'm paying attention, and it seems Harry is too, his frown growing and growing.

When she finally finishes and the feast begins, Harry turns to me.

"Something is wrong. Something about that teacher is definitely wrong."

A/N: What about Umbridge is making Harry uneasy? Will Hermione notice more of Harry's abnormal behavior? What is gonna happen next? Tune in next time to find the answer to at least one of these questions!

Peace out and as always, REVIEW!

-Winged Quill